About Us

T. B. Watson Ltd. has been trading in Dumfries since 1909 and was incorporated in 1924. The company has changed somewhat since its humble beginnings as a Gent's Outfitters in the days when the well-dressed gentleman was never seen without his hat! The present directors' grandparents bought the company in 1948 (after managing it for many years) just after the second world war and proceeded to expand the business to include a ladies-wear shop, barber's shops, fishing tackle / sports equipment specialist and finally a tobacconist and wine & spirit merchants in the 1950s. We wholesaled wines and spirits throughout south west Scotland and North West England from the late seventies until 1998 although only the wine & spirit merchants, tobacconist and now our crystal engraving company (all under the same roof) remain now.

Thomas Baird Watson’s words in 1910 were: “My aim is to give satisfaction; to attend to you courteously, attentively and smartly; to give you what you want; to take a pleasure in showing you what you want, whether you buy or not; and to give the very best value possible.” and these words hold true today.

The company now focuses its energy on providing a quality service to all its customers be they across the counter or across the internet and has developed the ‘Drambusters’ brand in particular for over 15 years. Drambusters Whisky Club has well over 300 annual members who get the opportunity to taste a range of whiskies every 4-6 weeks, usually with a celebrity from the whisky industry, as well as special offers and trips to distilleries. We also now run an extremely popular gin club called the Ginhamers (after the Doonhamers which is what you call a person from Dumfries).

The company hosts their annual Drambusters Festival in Dumfries on the last day of November. The event has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2011 and now expects around 750 enthusiasts to descend on the town every year. There are over 200 product choices to sample from over 40 different suppliers as well as a ‘master class’ in whisky.

One of our directors, Brian Gibson, is a 'Keeper of the Quaich', a prestigious award given to those who dedicate themselves and their time to the promotion of Scotch Whisky.

In addition to the extensive range of whiskies, the company also stocks a wide range of other spirits; gins, vodkas, rums, brandies and liqueurs as well as a range of top quality wines from all over the world all of which are now available on-line.

We also provide a service whereby we can supply malt whisky, vodka, champagne, and wine with personalised labels for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries & weddings etc. The malt whisky miniatures in particular are popular as wedding favours.

Another addition in 2005 was the purchase of a successful local crystal engraving company called Galloway Glass (formerly based in Beeswing, Dumfries). From our Dumfries studio base we supply quality engraved crystal to customers throughout the world. The combination of detailed engraving with a unique product presentation and truly responsive customer service has resulted in a growing business to business customer base.
Browse our comprehensive product catalogue, view a selection of our designs and judge for yourselves why so many retailers, clubs and corporate clients as well as retail customers choose Galloway Glass .. and because we have the engraving facilities on site, we can engrave a line of text onto many of the bottles that we have in stock to create the ultimate unique gift.